A gang of convicts plots to use a secret tunnel not to escape from prison but to rob two banks while they have the perfect alibi: they couldn’t have done it since they’re already behind bars…

Shamus Award Winner for
Best Original Paperback Novel of the Year

SONGS of
INNOCENCE

by RICHARD ALEAS

Three years ago, detective John Blake solved a mystery that changed his life forever—and left a woman he loved dead. Now Blake is back, to investigate the apparent suicide of Dorothy Louise Burke, a beautiful college student with a double life. The secrets Blake uncovers could blow the lid off New York City’s sex trade…if they don’t kill him first.

Richard Aleas’ first novel, LITTLE GIRL LOST, was among the most celebrated crime novels of the year, nominated for both the Edgar and Shamus Awards. But nothing in John Blake’s first case could prepare you for the shocking conclusion of his second…

PRAISE FOR SONGS OF INNOCENCE:

“An instant classic.”
— Washington Post

“The best thing Hard Case is publishing right now.”
– San Francisco Chronicle

“His powerful conclusion will drop jaws.”
— Publishers Weekly

“So sharp [it’ll] slice your finger as you flip the pages.”
— Playboy

Available now from your favorite bookseller.
For more information, visit
www.HardCaseCrime.com

The LOST Detective Novel
From the Creator of PERRY MASON

The KNIFE SLIPPED

by ERLE STANLEY GARDNER

Lost for more than 75 years, The Knife Slipped was meant to be the second book in the Cool & Lam series but got shelved when Gardner’s publisher objected to (among other things) Bertha Cool’s tendency to “talk tough, swear, smoke cigarettes, and try to gyp people.” But this tale of adultery and corruption, of double-crosses and triple identities—however shocking for 1939—shines today as a glorious present from the past, a return to the heyday of private eyes and shady dames, of powerful criminals, crooked cops, blazing dialogue and wild plot twists.

RAVES FOR THE KNIFE SLIPPED:

“A remarkable discovery…fans will rejoice at another dose of Gardner’s unexcelled mastery of pace and an unexpected new taste of his duo’s cyanide chemistry.”
– Kirkus Reviews

“A treasure that’s not to be missed.”
– Book Reporter

“A gift to aficionados of the Cool and Lam series.”
— New York Journal of Books

“A time machine back to an exuberant era of snappy patter, stakeouts and double-crosses.”
— Publishers Weekly

Available now from your favorite bookseller.
For more information, visit
www.HardCaseCrime.com